Brad Jones Racing has shown off the first of its Indigenous Supercars liveries ahead of this month’s Betr Darwin Triple Crown.
The #96 Pizza Hut Camaro of Macauley Jones will take on a new look for the stop at Hidden Valley, Supercars’ official Indigenous event, reflecting show of Wiradjuri strength.
The design was created in conjunction with the Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation (MAC), which provides services to the Indigenous community in Albury and Northeast Victoria, where BJR is based.
Featuring on Car #96 is the ‘Googar’ (goanna), which is one of the main totems for the Wiradjuri people.
The totem represents finding one’s strength both on a physical and emotional plane, consistent with Jones’ competitive athletic pursuits in trail running and the like.
The three blue lines on the side symbolise the Murray River which separates the twin towns of Albury-Wodonga, with two meeting places represented by the large symbol on top of the car and the smaller circles within circles on top of the boot and near the rear guard.
Furthermore, the green and blue arches symbolising the hills which surround Albury and Wodonga.
Macauley Jones said, “It’s been a great experience working with the Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation to produce these designs.
“Their Elders group has done an amazing job and I’m quite humbled to be able to race with their artwork on the car.
“I’ve grown up in Wiradjuri country and in my opinion it’s some of the most incredible landscapes in Australia. Being able to carry that in the Indigenous round means a lot to me.
“The Pizza Hut Camaro looks amazing and having the Googar totem with us in Darwin can only be a good thing.”
Carl Tunstall, from MAC, added, “Chris Westwood, General Manager for Brad Jones Racing, contacted Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation in mid-April to see if we would like to be a part of designing the Indigenous design livery for BJR’s cars.
“After having a think about which MAC program should design the Indigenous livery, the Planned Activity Group, which is a social group for our local Elders that promotes physical activity, cognitive stimulation, good nutrition, emotional wellbeing, and social inclusion, was the main choice, as it aligns with this year’s NAIDOC theme – ‘For Our Elders’.
“Over the next few Planned Activity Group meetings, the Elders worked on the design, with a few of the Elders expressing to MAC staff that they had ‘a new lease on life’ after being given to opportunity to participate in this project. All the Elders who participated in the project are excited to see the final results of their work.
“Giving the Planned Activity Group the car’s colour scheme by providing them with photos of Brad Jones Racing’s Pizza Hut Camaro, they knew straight away that a Googar-themed design for the car was suitable.
“MAC, along with the participants of MAC’s Planned Activity Group is very thankful to Brad Jones Racing for giving the organisation the opportunity to work together to design the Indigenous design livery for their cars.”
The Darwin Triple Crown, takes place on June 16-18.
GALLERY: BJR Supercars Indigenous livery for Car #96
